My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 597

Chapter 597

“But right now… my only job is to make sure nobody ever hurts you again.”

I couldn’t help her while she was pulling against the ropes still wrapped around her ankles.

“Stay still.”

She didn’t, “Raphael, please—”

“I said stay still.”

I crouched in front of her and pulled the knife from my belt. One clean cut. The rope around her ankles fell apart.

She didn’t even wait.

The moment her legs were free, she threw herself toward me. Her hands grabbed my face, both of them. Her palms were cold. They trembled so badly I could feel every shake against my skin.

She forced me to look at her, “Please…” she cried, “Look at me. Look into my eyes.”

I already was.

Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the dried blood on her cheeks.

“Please believe me.”

My eyes moved over the dressing automatically. The bandage had slipped, there was dried blood beneath it. The edges were stained a darker red. Whoever had wrapped it hadn’t done a very good job.

My jaw tightened, “You need stitches.”

She shook her head so quickly that she winced, “No!” she cried. “Raphael, listen to me!” She pulled my face back toward hers with surprising strength, “If you love me…”

The words stopped me.

“…please. Give Mama D one chance. I know her. I know she isn’t telling the whole story because she’s scared,” her fingers tightened against my jaw, “Please… let her explain.”

For several long seconds, I simply looked at her.

Logic told me not to.

Emotion-whatever broken version of it existed inside me-was standing right in front of me with blood in her hair and tears running down her face.

She trusted that woman.

I trusted her.

By the time I reached the center of the basement, every guard had stepped back just enough to give me room.

Denise Walker was still on the floor, clutching her injured leg, blood soaked through her fingers. She looked up at me and then at my brothers.

“I’m giving you one opportunity, not because you’ve earned it,” I glanced once toward Gianna and she nodded, ” Because she asked me to.”

“I don’t give opportunities to people who lay a hand on my family, so, use this wisely, Denise,” Vincenzo stepped up beside me, his voice as cold as ever, “And don’t insult us by pretending any of you are innocent.”

I turned my head slowly, pointing my finger toward the women lying face first against the cold concrete, “Which one of these means the most to you?” I asked Denise.

“Morgan,” Cole answered immediately from his place on the floor, “She’d do anything for the youngest one, Morgan. She is the one in the green dress.”

The words had barely left his mouth when Dante stomped down on the back of Cole’s head. The impact slammed Cole’s face into the concrete, not hard enough to crack his skull and kill him, but hard enough to make him

rethink his choices.

“You speak when you’re spoken to, asshole,” Dante growled down at him.

I didn’t look at Cole as he groaned in the dirt. My face remained perfectly empty as I fixed my eyes on the girl in green.

“Alfonso,” I ordered, “Grab the girl and shove a gun down her throat.”